Strand handling apparatus



Oct. 20, 1942.

L. G. WADE ETAL 2,299,518

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1942 2 SheetS -Sheet l lA/VENTORS L.6'. WA DE 0. WATERS QR MW- A TTORNf) 9 Oct. 20, 1942. L. GLWADE ETAL STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Fil edJan. 13, 1942 FIG. 2

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOPS L.6'. WA DE 0. l. WA TE/PS A TTORNEV Patented Oct. 20, 1942 STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Lorentz G. Wade, Westfield, and Daniel V. Waters, Flemington, N. J assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 13, 1942, Serial No. 426,544

8 Claims.

This invention relates to strand handling apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for winding or serving a binding or covering strand helically about a core strand.

There are many instances in the manufacture of cables, particularly of telephone cables, where it is desired to wind one strand in a uniform helix about another strand which is not materially distorted in the process. This may be done by advancing the core strand, i. e., the strand about which the winding is to be done, longitudinally, while revolving a supply of the cover strand (the strand to be wound helically on the core strand) about the core strand in a plane transverse thereto. The pitch of the winding will depend then upon the ratio of the longitudinal speed of the core to the angular speed of the cover strand supply. The uniformity of the helix made by the cover strand on the core strand depends primarily upon the constancy of the speed ratio mentioned, but also, and importantly, upon the constancy of the tension under which the cover strand is transferred from the supply to the core by the winding action. Where two or more cover strands are being served on a core simultaneously, there is the added problem of keeping the winding tensions of the individual cover strands substantially alike.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in an apparatus for serving more than one cover strand simultaneously on a core strand, means to keep the individual winding tensions of the several cover strands substantially equal to each other at all times, however the speed of the winding may vary.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention may be embodied in a serving device especially for simultaneously applying a plurality of insulating tapes to a conductor core wherein a plurality of supply pads is rotatably mounted on a member rotating around a moving core so. that the tapes are withdrawn and served upon the core, the pad'holders being geared independently to and thereby rotating and controlling the pressure between opposing friction discs to secure balanced tape tensions.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures and in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view partly in longitudinal vertical section of the left end portion of the showing of Fig. 1 with the paper tapes omitted;

Fig. 3 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of the central portion of the showing of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detached, broken, enlarged detail view of the auxiliary brake control.

The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in an apparatus for serving simultaneously two paper tapes ll and I8 upon a longitudinally advancing core strand l3, which may, for clarity, be thought of as consisting essentially of a plurality of insulated wires intertwisted together to form the core of an electrical conductor cable such as is employed in telephony.

A frame, generally indicated at 26, is rotatable in hollow journals mounted in stationary pedestals 2| and 22, the core !9 advancing from left to right (Fig. 1) along the axis of rotation, through the hollow journals. The frame comprises transverse disc-like heads 23 and 24 spaced apart and held together by diametrically 0ppo-. site longitudinal beams 25 and 26. These beams are here shown as box girders but may be of any suitable structure and form. Two mutually coaxially opposed pad supports 2? and 23 are journalled respectively in the two beams to be freely and independently rotatable about a common axis intersecting the axis of rotation of the frame at right angles. The pads l5 and It are supported respectively on the pad supports 2'! and 23. The tapes I! and I8 of which the pads are composed lead from the pads over suitable guide rollers, generally indicated at 29 and 30, to be wound on the core H3 at the winding point W. The core l9 to be wound passes to the winding point W through a hollow core guide 3| mounted on the frame head 24; and the wound core passes from the winding point through a compacting die 32 supported on rods 33 and 34 extending from the head 24.

Each pad support 21 and 28 has a helical gear or worm wheel 35 and 36 respectively integral therewith or rigidly secured thereto, which meshes with a corresponding gear or worm 31 and38 rigid on shafts 39 and 40 respectively. At the other end, each of the shafts 38 and 40 has a worm or helical gear M and 42 respectively, rigid thereon. Each of the gears 41 and 42' meshes with a corresponding worm Wheel or gear, 43 and 44 respectively, formed on the peripheries of relatively large discs, 45 and 45 respectively, journalled on the head 24 to be freely and independently rotatable thereon about the axis thereof. Friction rings 41 held against rotation with respect to the disc 45 by pins 49 are intercalated with friction rings 48 held against rotation with respect to the disc 58 by pins 56.

The head 24 (Fig. 2) is secured to a sleeve journalled in the pedestal 22 by a ball bearing 52. A multi-grcoved sheave 53 keyed to the sleeve 5! is driven by belts 54 from a motor 55 and thus drives the frame 26. Longitudinally housed within the sleeve 5| and secured thereto and to the head 24 by screws Si is a brake mounting sleeve 56. Longitudinally slidable within the sleeve 56, and keyed thereto to rotate therewith is a core guide tube 59 resiliently held toward the left (Fig. 2) by a compression spring 5? abutted at one end against the sleeve 55 and at its other end against a tension adjusting collar 58 threaded on the core tube.

The tape guide rollers 29 and 3d are mounted on the right or forward end of the core tube 59, the shafts on which they turn being rigid with the core tube. The core guide 3! is also rigidly mounted on the right end of the tube 59.

The details of structure and function ,of the rollers 29 and 35 are no part of the present invention, being particularly described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 426,545, filed of even date herewith by A. C. Nystrom and L. G. Wade, to which application reference may be had, if desired, for such details. 7

The arrangement as thus far described will operate to produce the desired results satisfactorily in many instances. Withdrawal of the tapes from the pads, by the winding on of the tapes on the core at the winding point, drives the pad supports in rotation about their axes. The supports then drive the two discs of the friction brake in opposite directions relatively to each other and to the head 24, although these discs are also rotatedv with the head 24. Because of the friction of the brake, the discs resist being driven by the pad supports, and this resistance is balanced equally between the two supports. This resistance creates in both tapes the tension necessary to wind the tapes satisfactorily; and because of the balanced distribution of the single resistance to the two pad supports, the tensions of the two tapes are necessarily equal to each other at all times, no matter how they may vary together. This is a necessary condition for satisfactory simultaneous winding of two tapes. In order that each tape may individually be laid on uniformly, it is necessary that its tension be kept constant. Hence the resistance which creates the tension and which arises from the friction of the brake is controlled by the tensions of the two strands acting together, and, since the resistance is split and creates the two balanced tensions, the combined tensions, acting on the roller groups 29 and 30 are employed through the slidable core tube 59 supporting one brake disc, and the spring 5'! to modify the resistance inversely to the tensions.

In some cases, especially where relatively fragile and delicate papers are in question, it is preferred to provide the additional and more delicate resistance controlling means generally indicated at 64 and shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 4. A radial lever 65 is pivoted on the flange 66 of the collar 63. The forked outer end of the lever '65 straddles a pillar Bl mounted on the head 24, and bears on a knife edge 68 formed on a member secured on the pillar. The inner end of the lever 65 is engaged by a spring pressed, slidable pin or plunger 69 housed in the core guide 3i, which is shafts 10 of the guide rollers 29 and 3t. Pressure of the plunger 69 on the lever 65 with its fulcrum at 68, is multiplied at the pivot of the lever in the flange 66 of the collar 63 which carries the brake member 55, and this being slidable on the collar 63, this pressure is added to the pressure due to the spring 51. But, and also because of the multiplying elfect of the lever, the added pressure effected by the lever is rapidly varied by any shift of the core tube 55! carrying the guide 3|, due to changing tension in the tapes. Hence with this arrangement, the friction of the brake and therefore the tension of the tapes, varies rapidly and delicately to annul variations in the tension arising accidentally. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the device 64 is duplicated on the diametrically opposite side of the core tube, partly to make its effect on the brake uniform instead of one-sided, and partly to maintain centrifugal balance in the apparatus generally, in which connection it may also be noted that the organization of the brake itself With its two circular friction discs coaxial to the axis of rotation not only helps to prevent centrifugal stresses, but, even more importantly, avoids any disturbance in the braking effect due to the centrifugal stresses, since the brake members are formed to be in- I dividually in dynamic balance about their axis of secured to the core tube 59 and also carries the rotation.

The particular embodiment of the invention disclosed and described is illustrative and may be variously modified and departed from Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as particularly described and pointed out in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable about the said axis of revolution, and means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof.

2. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable with respect to each other about the said axis of revolution, and means to connect each brake member to one tape supply to be rotated by the rotation thereof.

3. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable in opposite directions With respect to each other about the said axis of revolution, and means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof.

4. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable about the said axis of revolution and each of a form to have dynamic balance about its axis of rotation, and means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof.

5. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable with respect to each other in opposite directions about the said aXis of revolution, one of the said brake members being reciprocable along the said axis of revolution with respect to the other brake member, means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof, resilient means to press the slidable brake member against the other brake member, and means controlled by the combined tensions of the two tapes in passing from the supplies to the core to modify the pressure of the resilient means.

6. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable with respect to each other in opposite directions about the said axis of revolution and each of a form to have dynamic balance about its axis of rotation, one of the said brake members being reciprocable along the said axis of revolution with respect to the other brake member, means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof, resilient means to press the slidable brake member against the other brake member, and means controlled by the combined tensions of the two tapes in passing from the supplies to the core to modify the pressure of the resilient means.

7. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable with respect to each other in opposite directions about the said axis of revolution, one of the said brake members being mounted upon a core guide tube reciprocable along the said axis of revolution with respect to the other brake member, means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof, resilient means to move the core guide tube to press the brake member mounted thereon against the other brake member, and means on the core guide tube to guide the tapes from the supplies to the core and to cause the combined tensions of the tapes to oppose the movement of the core guide tube due to the resilient means.

8. In an apparatus for serving two tapes simultaneously on a longitudinally advancing core, two tape supply supports revoluble about the advancing strand and independently rotatable each about an axis intersecting their common axis of revolution, two coacting brake members rotatable with respect to each other in opposite directions about the said axis of revolution and each of a form to have dynamic balance about its axis of rotation, one of the said brake members being mounted upon a core guide tube reciprocable along the said axis of revolution with respect to the other brake member, means to connect each brake member to one tape supply support to be rotated by the rotation thereof, resilient means to move the core guide tube to press the brake member mounted thereon against the other brake member, and means on the core guide tube to guide the tapes from the supplies to the core and to cause the combined tensions of the tapes to oppose the movement of the core guide tube due to the resilient means.

LORENTZ G. WADE. DANIEL V. WATERS. 

